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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. staff — employees
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wake — a trail
  9. shower — to wash
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. staff — a stick
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. staff — employees
  22. wound — an injury
  23. shower — rain
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com